As the initial enthusiasm of the new year fades, many find themselves grappling with the challenge of sustaining resolutions. Around the two to three-week mark, the initial burst of motivation can give way to hesitations and resistance. I believe we all have felt how habits have power over us. But they are neither inherently good […]
How are your New Year’s Resolutions going? Read More »
Imbalance is a normal part of a leader’s life. This is one lesson I consistently discuss during my training. You’re never going to find peace as a leader, nor experience satisfaction from all counterparties. Leadership is about maintaining balance in a triangle, where each angle of the triangle plays an unique role – owner, customer,
📐Embracing imbalance in leadership is a fundamental rule of basic math. Read More »
Once again, a nice stack of devotional books for Christmas gifts on their way! As Christmas approached, I was approached again by a manager who is giving my book to all his team members. Moments like these are somehow especially touching when someone sees that time with my thoughts could be a gift for someone!
A Christmas book for team members Read More »
The role of the manager, or more precisely the need for the content of that role, has changed significantly in the last 10 years. Many years ago, the leader was mainly a catalyst, an igniter, a leader, a visionary towards shared results. Many more years ago, the manager was the organiser, the giver of orders
The role of the driver has changed significantly in the last 10 years Read More »
Is work/life balance enough? Not enough…
Below is a picture that I occasionally draw in training courses, and that’s where the photo comes from. Anyone who has been to my training courses knows that I draw a lot of triangles, and that one very important triangle is the work+life+recreation triangle.
If anyone remembers from 6th grade math, the sum of the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees, and if the angles are equal, they are all 60 degrees. As some angles get larger (for example 100 degrees, others get smaller).
Is work/life balance enough? Read More »
My policy has been that if the client doesn’t share, I don’t share the names of the clients I work with. There are a few specific situations where I need to list ‘work done’ for procurement purposes, but mostly I leave out the organisations where I train, run a development programme, where I am a management consultant. Especially in public channels such as social media, your website, etc.
To share or not to share the names of the organisations I work with? Read More »
In my trainings, leaders are often surprised to learn that praise is not a good technique for leadership or for any kind of relationship with adults or children. After all, we are used to a lifetime of praise and seeking external recognition. How else? I was reminded of this theme again at the Song and Dance Festival at the weekend, where I heard such lines repeatedly: “You were such a good boy!”, “Good girls!”, “Good!”.
Why is praise bad? Read More »
Some time ago I heard the admission that the holistic regression therapy I do in addition to leadership training is not scientifically proven.
It’s true. A thing becomes scientific the moment the first academic paper is published, and an “unrecognised” thing thereby becomes “recognised”. But it doesn’t matter. It’s all about experience and my experience with this style of therapy has been life-changing:
Proof that holistic regression therapy is not scientifically proven after all Read More »
This is the conclusion we came to a few days ago during a discussion in a training group. The participant discussed that as a manager he tends to take responsibility into his own hands, to be a constant hand in the machine of what team members do.
Taking too much responsibility is irresponsible Read More »
In December 2020, I wrote down my so-called ideal life phrases in a notebook, because I had heard that what you tell yourself and where you put your energy, it will happen. It sounded absurd to a rational person, but I thought I’d give it a try. After all, there was nothing to lose, because there was no satisfaction in life anyway. I was supposed to earn money, and the opposite (money earns me) sounded like a nice idea, but far away. I wrote down the things that at the time were totally dream level.
What you tell yourself and where you put your energy, that’s what happens. Read More »
